Summary The SUNNY BLOSSOM was upbound towards Cornwall in daylight and in clear weather. An apprentice pilot had the conduct of the vessel and a pilot was also in the wheel-house. Upstream of buoy DCB and to the south of the Cornwall channel, the vessel ran aground. Two days later, assisted by two tugs, the vessel was refloated and brought to the quay at Cornwall. The grounding caused neither damage to the vessel nor pollution. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information Description of the Vessel The SUNNY BLOSSOM, an ocean-going vessel with accommodation and machinery space aft, has been calling at Canadian and United States ports on the Atlantic coast and in the Great Lakes for several years. The vessel is crewed, equipped and certificated as required by current regulations. In addition to having the required navigational equipment, the vessel was recently fitted with an electronic chart system but it was not yet operational. Personnel The master and the officer of the watch (OOW) were certificated to the standard required for a vessel of the size of the SUNNY BLOSSOM and for the type of voyage being made. The pilot is the holder of a pilotage licence from the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority (GLPA), issued in 1976. He also possesses a Certificate of Competency as Master, Local Voyage (formerly Inland Waters). The apprentice pilot is the holder of a Certificate of Competency as mate, intermediate voyages, issued in 1994. In October 1998 the apprentice pilot commenced an apprenticeship with the GLPA. History of the Voyage At 0908 eastern daylight time,[2] on 11 July 1999, the SUNNY BLOSSOM sailed from Saint John, New Brunswick, with a cargo of 14 365 tonnes of caustic soda for discharge at Cornwall, Ontario. The draughts on sailing were 7.5 m forward and 7.98 m aft. After an uneventful voyage up the St. Lawrence River, the vessel entered the first lock in the St. Lawrence Seaway at St. Lambert, Quebec, where, at 0120 on July 16, a change of pilots took place. The pilot who boarded was familiar with the SUNNY BLOSSOM, and had piloted the vessel on several occasions. Although the draughts were recorded by Seaway personnel at St. Lambert lock as 7.92 m forward and 7.65 m aft, the pilot did not request them nor was he informed of them at this time. On passage upbound from the lock at St. Lambert, while passing the Mercier Bridge, the pilot reported to Seaway Beauharnois by very high frequency (VHF) radio. Shortly afterwards, Seaway Beauharnois informed the pilot that a relief, who had been expected to board at Beauharnois lock No. 4 at about 0800, would not be available until 1600. At the same time, the pilot was informed that an apprentice pilot would board at Beauharnois lock No. 4. As he had the right to do according to current practice, the pilot decided on the spot to continue with the conduct of the vessel from lock No. 4 to Cornwall and informed Seaway Beauharnois of his decision. During the transit towards Cte St. Catherine lock, the pilot noted that steering the vessel was more difficult than usual and remarked on this to the master. The pilot was informed at this time by the master that the vessel was trimmed 10 cm by the head. The pilot did not request that the trim by the head be reduced. At about 0800 the SUNNY BLOSSOM left Beauharnois lock No. 4. The apprentice pilot had boarded at the lock. The apprentice pilot informed the pilot that, according to the lockmaster, the vessel's draughts were 7.88 m forward and 7.65 m aft. The trim by the head was now confirmed as 23 cm. The pilot handed over the conduct of the vessel to the apprentice pilot, at the same time giving the warning that the vessel was not steering well--probably due to the trim by the head. This was not the apprentice pilot's first experience on the SUNNY BLOSSOM; the apprentice pilot had piloted the vessel on four previous occasions, twice upbound and twice downbound, the last trips being from Cornwall on June 10 and June 11. Upbound to Cornwall, the vessel's conduct was shared, in turns, by the pilot and the apprentice pilot. When the apprentice pilot had the conduct of the vessel, the pilot remained in the wheel-house. At about 1115 the master informed those on the bridge that, to correct the trim by the head, the afterpeak had been ballasted. An entry in the vessel's log book was made to the effect that 100 tonnes of ballast had been taken on in the afterpeak. However, the pilots did not notice any difference in the vessel's manoeuvrability. At about 1140 the vessel was approaching buoy D82. The apprentice pilot resumed the conduct of the vessel for the Cornwall channel and to bring the vessel alongside. The maximum permitted speed over the ground in these waters is 8.5 knots.[3] The vessel's speed was kept between 8 and 8.5 knots by varying the engine telegraph between half ahead and full ahead. The current against the ship was about two knots and parallel to the channel. Visibility was good and there was a light wind from the south-southwest. On the bridge at this time were the master, the OOW, the helmsman, the pilot and the apprentice pilot. The OOW carried out the pilots' engine telegraph orders. He also charted the vessel's position about every six minutes when his services were not required at the telegraph. The pilot was on the port side of the wheel-house and was looking forward. The apprentice pilot was standing amidships near the window and the gyro-compass repeater. The helmsman was at his post and carrying out helm orders. According to the pilot and the apprentice pilot, the helmsman did not always repeat the helm orders given to him before carrying them out and, when he did so, did not speak up loudly. Although the helmsman had been at the steering position for more than three hours, none of the officers had seen fit to ensure a correct response to orders. About 1150 the master left the bridge to quickly eat something before the vessel started docking manoeuvres. At this time the vessel was steering 241(G) on Cornwall Island leading marks. The gyro error was about 1 high. The apprentice pilot called Seaway Eisenhower by VHF radio to inform them that the vessel would soon be leaving the main channel and to give the vessel's estimated time of arrival at the quay in Cornwall. Around 1152 the vessel was about 2.8 cables downstream of buoy DCB, the mid-channel buoy between the main and Cornwall channels. The apprentice pilot ordered 10 degrees of starboard helm. The order was carried out by the helmsman and, shortly after, the vessel started to alter course to starboard. The apprentice pilot then ordered the helm to midships to reduce the rate at which the vessel was swinging to starboard. The helmsman carried out the order. At about 1154, as the vessel's heading was nearing 255(G), the vessel's bow was abeam of buoy DCB, which was some 60 m to port. At this time the apprentice pilot ordered the helmsman to increase the amount of helm. There are differing versions of the helm orders that were given at this juncture. In one version, an order of starboard 10 degrees was reportedly given to complete the starboard turn to come to a heading of 265(G) in the Cornwall channel. In the other, the helm order was port 10 degrees, followed shortly thereafter by an order of port 20 degrees. The helmsman put the wheel 10 degrees to port followed by 20 degrees to port. During this time the attention of the apprentice pilot was concentrated on the vessel's foremast, to discern its movement against the background (which would indicate a change of course). The apprentice pilot was not looking at the rudder angle indicator and did not notice the direction in which the helmsman put the wheel. The pilot, from his position on the port side of the wheel-house, made no comment either on the orders given by the apprentice pilot or on the way they were carried out by the helmsman. With the helm now 20 degrees to port, the vessel started swinging to port. From this moment the differing versions of the events again coincide. As soon as the apprentice pilot became aware of the swing to port, the apprentice pilot looked at the rudder angle indicator and saw that the rudder was to port. One member of the bridge team recalls seeing 10 degrees to port at this time; however, the three other members of the bridge team recollect seeing 20 degrees to port. After an exclamation of surprise in the French language, the apprentice pilot immediately ordered the helm to midships and then ordered the helmsman to put the wheel hard to starboard. The helmsman carried out these orders, but given the momentum of the vessel's port swing, the vessel continued to swing to port. Alerted by the order hard to starboard, the pilot came to the assistance of the apprentice pilot, who asked him if the engines should be put full astern. The pilot concurred and the order was given. The OOW put the engine telegraph to full astern. The apprentice pilot then asked the OOW to telephone the engine-room to ask for emergency full astern. The OOW complied with this order and, shortly after, the main engine was turning full astern. At about 1155 the vessel ran aground on a 4.8 m shoal on the southern edge of the Cornwall channel, one cable upstream of buoy DCB.[4] The vessel's heading was 249(G) and the vessel had a slight starboard list of about half a degree. The master, who had just returned to the bridge, stopped the main engine. On July 18, assisted by two tugs, the SUNNY BLOSSOM was refloated and brought alongside the quay at Cornwall. There was neither damage to the vessel nor pollution as a result of the grounding. Work/Rest Schedule On July 13 the pilot had worked between 1030 and 1635 piloting a vessel from Beauharnois to St. Lambert. On July 14 he had started work at 1800 and finished a little over six hours later at 0020 on July 15, piloting a vessel from St. Lambert to Beauharnois. At 0118 on July 16 the pilot started his third assignment in four days. The pilot had 22 hours of sleep in the 72 hours preceding the occurrence, and 3 hours of sleep in the 24 hours preceding the occurrence. On July 13 and 14 the apprentice pilot had no ship assignments. On July 15 the assignment was from 0540 to 1030. Three sleep periods taken in the 72 hours preceding the grounding were each at least 8 hours long.